Bankers: "I give the banker guy 1 star out of 3. Pros: not clingy, spends money. Cons: Frequently not available. Work is always top-of-mind. Things stall when work gets heavy. Unfortunate tendency to end phone calls with "Thanks. Bye." Also, there's just too much room for comparison. There's just no way to not compare status, deals, money. You have to be okay with that going in."

Private Equity guys:2 stars (of 3). Same pros as the banker guy with fewer cons, more confidence, and more free time.

Hedge Fund guys: my sample is weak here; would benchmark him to PE guy with potential upside based on role, experience, and personality.

Traders:Three stars. Pros: transactional awareness, speed, bandwidth, value/time ratio, ability to close out the trade and walk away without drama. Typically feel they have something to prove, like to throw money around. Cons: Slightly scruffier than the guys above. Thinks that traders (rather than bankers) are masters of the universe. Keeps comparing his best month's earnings to your average month; sometimes "forgets" to add in your bonus. (It's not discretionary! It's a sure thing!) Most importantly: when he has a bad day, it's a really bad day.

We appreciate her honesty (especially about the hedge fund sample size, very scientific) and we wish her luck in her quest not to waste her time. It is, after all, so precious.